Removable rack for a liquid dispensing nozzle

Abstract

A rack, which cooperates with a trigger of a manually operated handle of an automatic shut-off nozzle, is removably mounted on the nozzle guard so that the nozzle can be utilized in a mechanical hold open mode or a manually controlled mode when the rack is mounted on the guard and cannot be utilized in the mechanical hold open mode when the rack is removed but only in the manually controlled mode.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A liquid dispensing nozzle including a body, flow control means to control the rate of flow through said body, a guide mounted on said body, a rack removably mounted on said guard, said rack having a plurality of means for selectively holding said flow control means in each of a plurality of predetermined desired positions to control the rate of flow through said body, releasable retaining means for connecting said rack to said guard in a predetermined single position on said guard, longitudinally aligning means on said rack and said guard for cooperation with each other to longitudinally align said rack on said guard when said rack is connected to said guard in the predetermined single position by said releasable retaining means, and cooperating means on said guard and said rack to control the position of said rack on said guard so that said rack is disposed to hold said flow control means at any of the predetermined desired positions when said rack is connected to said guard in the predetermined single position by said releasable retaining means. 
     
     
       2. The nozzle according to claim 1 in which said cooperating means includes a slot in one of said rack and said guard, a member connected to the other of said rack and said guard irrespective of the position of said rack with respect to said guard, and said member being disposed in said slot when said rack is mounted on said guard so as to engage one end of said slot to control the position of said rack on said guard so that said rack is disposed in the predetermined single position on said guard. 
     
     
       3. The nozzle according to claim 2 in which said releasable retaining means includes means on said member to releasably lock said rack to said guard. 
     
     
       4. The nozzle according to claim 3 in which said longitudinally aligning means includes a longitudinal slot in one of said rack and said guard and guide means fixed to the other of said rack and said guard and disposed in said longitudinal slot to longitudinally align said rack on said guard. 
     
     
       5. The nozzle according to claim 2 in which said longitudinally aligning means includes a longitudinal slot in one of said rack and said guard and guide means fixed to the other of said rack and said guard and disposed in said longitudinal slot to longitudinally align said rack on said guard. 
     
     
       6. The nozzle according to claim 1 in which said cooperating means includes a slot in said rack, and a member connected to said guard irrespective of the position of said rack with respect to said guard and disposed in said slot when said rack is mounted on said guard so as to engage one end of said slot to control the position of said rack on said guard so that said rack is disposed in the predetermined single position on said guard. 
     
     
       7. The nozzle according to claim 6 in which said longitudinally aligning means includes a longitudinal slot in said rack and guide means fixed to said guard and disposed in said longitudinal slot to longitudinally align said rack on said guard. 
     
     
       8. The nozzle according to claim 1 in which said cooperating means includes fixed means on said guard engaging one end of said rack to prevent longitudinal movement of said rack in the direction toward said fixed means, said fixed means also longitudinally aligning said rack on said guard to function as said longitudinally aligning means, and said releasable retaining means includes means secured to said guard and overlying the other end of said rack and acting thereagainst to hold said rack against said fixed means on said guard so that said rack is disposed in the predetermined single position on said guard. 
     
     
       9. The nozzle according to claim 8 in which said secured means of said releasable retaining means includes means slidably mounted on said guard and means to releasably retain said slidably mounted means in a position in which the one end of said rack abuts said fixed means on said guard. 
     
     
       10. The nozzle according to claim 1 in which said cooperating means includes fixed means on said guard engaging one end of said rack to prevent movement of said rack in the direction toward said fixed means, said fixed means also longitudinally aligning said rack on said guard to function as said longitudinally aligning means, and said releasable retaining means includes resilient means secured to said guard and overlying the other end of said rack and acting thereagainst to urge said rack against said fixed means on said guard so that said rack is disposed in the predetermined single position on said guard. 
     
     
       11. A liquid dispensing nozzle including a body, flow control means to control the rate of flow through said body, a guard mounted on said body, a rack mounted on said guard, said rack having a plurality of means for selectively holding said flow control means in each of a plurality of predetermined desired positions to control the rate of flow through said body, at least a portion of one of said guard and said rack being formed of metallic material attracted to a magnet, a magnet supported on the other side of said guard and said rack to releasably lock said rack to said guard in a predetermined single position on said guard, longitudinally aligning means on said rack and said guard for cooperating with each other to longitudinally align said rack on said guard when said rack is connected to said guard in the predetermined single position, and cooperating means on said guard and said rack to control the position of said rack on said guard so that said rack is disposed to hold said flow control means at any of the predetermined desired positions when said rack is connected to said guard in the predetermined single position. 
     
     
       12. The nozzle according to claim 11 in which at least a portion of said rack is formed of a metallic material attracted to a magnet and said magnet is supported on said guard to releasably lock said rack to said guard. 
     
     
       13. The nozzle according to claim 12 in which said longitudinally aligning means includes a longitudinal slot in one of said rack and said guard and guide means fixed to the other of said rack and said guard and disposed in said longitudinal slot to longitudinally align said rack on said guard. 
     
     
       14. The nozzle according to claim 11 in which said longitudinally aligning means includes a longitudinal slot in one of said rack and said guard and guide means fixed to the other of said rack and said guard and disposed in said longitudinal slot to longitudinally align said rack on said guard. 
     
     
       15. A liquid dispensing nozzle including a body, flow control means to control the rate of flow through said body, a guard mounted on said body, a rack removably mounted on said guard, said rack having a plurality of means for selectively holding said flow control means in each of a plurality of predetermined desired positions to control the rate of flow through said body, fixed means on said guard engaging one end of said rack to prevent movement of said rack in the direction toward said fixed means to dispose said rack in a predetermined single position on said guard and to longitudinally align said rack, and resilient means secured to said guard and overlying the other end of said rack and acting thereagainst to urge said rack against said fixed means on said guard to control the position of said rack on said guard so that said rack is disposed in the predetermined single position on said guard to hold said flow control means at any of the predetermined desired positions when said rack is connected to said guard.